The new report by Europol's European Migrant Smuggling Centre (EMSC) looks into the latest developments and main threats in migrant smuggling and trafficking in human beings, based on the most recent operations supported by Europol. The report highlights the main challenges presented by the current criminal landscape, and aims to help law enforcement step up the fight against criminal networks, who not only rob individuals of their dignity but directly threaten peoples’ lives.

Migrant smuggling and human trafficking networks are highly adaptive and exploit geopolitical events, including economic and social crises to maximise their illegal profits. These networks swiftly identify criminal opportunities offered by the digital environment and take advantage of them to increase their illegal proceeds. Criminals abuse social media platforms, mobile applications, and cryptocurrencies to offer their illegal services, manage logistics and payments, and secure profits.

In 2015, the European Union was confronted with an unprecedented migratory crisis. In response, in 2016, Europol increased its support to national law enforcement authorities with the creation of a dedicated hub – Europol’s European Migrant Smuggling Centre – to facilitate closer cross-border cooperation and the rapid exchange of operational information. 

In 2023 alone, Europol supported 223 operations against migrant smuggling and human trafficking networks. The agency also provided national law enforcement authorities with 1 231 operational reports to advance their investigations in 2023. Europol has further developed the concept of Operational Task Forces (OTFs) in this crime area, with 11 OTFs targeting migrant smuggling and human trafficking networks.    

Main threats and developments

Investigations into migrant smuggling and trafficking in human beings reveal a complex and dynamic criminal environment in which actors take advantage of existing infrastructures and engage in multiple illegal activities. These criminal networks also engage in a number of other criminal activities, such as drugs and arms trafficking, document fraud and violence. Migrant smuggling and trafficking in human beings are interconnected, especially in cases where irregular migrants are in debt to their smugglers and end up in labour or sexual exploitation schemes to pay the smuggling fees. The links between migrant smuggling, terrorism and the financing of terrorism are of particular concern.

The main characteristics of the criminal networks involved in migrant smuggling and human trafficking:

• Strong links to other crime areas and crime enablers;
• High flexibility and adaptability;
• Abuse of geopolitical, economic, environmental and social crises;
• Intense cooperation with other criminal networks across borders within and outside the EU;
• Extension of violence towards irregular migrants, law enforcement, competitors and within the criminal networks themselves;
• Increase in the digitalisation of core components of criminal activities.